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Phineas and Ferb Wiki:Newsletter submissions/Guest Merchandise Review: Phineas and Ferb Are Playing With Power
Ever since it was discovered in the early 1990s that more children could recognize Super Mario than Mickey Mouse, Disney and Nintendo have been frequently linked, which is perhaps appropriate given that both entertainment giants have their own recognizable stable of stars and franchises that many young and old have fond memories of. Many gamers of my generation vividly recall the now-classic Nintendo games made by developers such as Capcom which featured Disney characters under license. Nowadays, Disney themselves have thrown their mouse ears in the video game ring, manufacturing a number of games featuring familiar Disney characters as well as a number of games for the Nintendo DS featuring Disney Channel shows. So it's no surprise that Phineas and Ferb have shown up in a Nintendo DS game from Disney Interactive Studios called- not surprisingly- Disney Phineas and Ferb, which was originally released last year. With a sequel on the horizon, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the original game and see how it fares. In the game, you control Phineas and Ferb as you help them go through an ordinary day. But, of course, an ordinary day for this duo is anything but- their idea of an "ordinary day" is collecting the pieces they need for their projects, be it a roller coaster, snowboard course, monster truck, or water slide, while trying to make sure their antics don't raise Candace's suspicion. Both brothers have special skills- Phineas is able to root through piles of junk for helpful scraps, while Ferb is able to use some of those said scraps to repair rusty gates or broken objects to help open new areas of the levels. The two can also team up in order to climb ladders and cross ropeways. Gameplay is very straightforward: Phineas and Ferb make their way through the level searching for the parts and blueprints they need. Along the way, they'll find a few minigames which will help them open new parts of the level. These include everything from pounding nails in the right order to sawing a log to blowing into a fan. Both the main game and the minigames make nice use of the DS's signature stylus and microphone features. But as they continue to search and do things, Candace's "busted bar" gets higher. If it fills up, they'll have to outrun her in a Pac-Man style maze game where they have to collect all the screws scattered throughout the maze without running into her. Some items you find, such as cake and invisibility potion, will allow you to help calm Candace down or do actions without her noticing, respectively. Once Phineas and Ferb have found all the parts they need, it's back to the backyard to put their new invention together for a test drive. As they go through their obstacle course, you'll have to collect a certain number of stars to open the next level. You can also go back and upgrade the ride to open more paths and twists which can send their ride under the water, through a hole to China, and even into outer space, where Agent P will help them shave some seconds of their time- which is helpful, as you need to beat the clock three times as well as find all the stars hidden on the course to complete it 100%. Although a fun diversion, I didn't really enjoy these parts of the game as much as the main exploration portions. The game was developed for Disney by a Japanese company called Altron, by my understanding without the knowledge or participation of the show's creative team, which you can tell from the fact that the game features a soundalike version of the show's theme song rather than the geniune article (presumably to avoid paying royalties) and features no voice-overs other than some appropriate stock clips of familiar lines such as Phineas's "Ferb, I know what we're going to do today," Isabella's "What'cha doin'" and Perry's growl (which is subtitled as "gyururu," an onomatopoeia which definitely shows that the game was made in Japan). Given the fact that the game is intended for children rather than the more general audience of the series it's based on (despite how some people interpret the film rating, "general audiences" is definitely not a synonym for "kids-only" as Phineas and Ferb proves), some of the more nuanced aspects of the series are also lost in translation, such as the witty dialogue and clever jokes. For example, in the final face-off where you control Agent P, Dr. Doofenshmirtz becomes more of a stereotypical video game end-boss bent on eradicating the player character rather than the well-developed clumsy would-be "villain" he actually is. Despite these setbacks, Altron was still able to capture the quirky and fun spirit of the show by including bright graphics which frequently utilize the familiar triangle background motif as well as cameo appearances by recognizable imagery such as the infamous floating baby head and brief optional conversations with familiar supporting characters that remain in-character if not laugh-out-loud funny. The story is advanced through cutscenes which are adapted from actual moments from the episodes the levels are based upon. The characters are rendered in three dimensions and for the most part don't look half bad that way (although sometimes Phineas is shown at an angle that makes him look like he only has one eye, which looks a little odd). The sound effects are appropriately cartoonish and the music is fitting, though nothing to write home about (except the very catchy winterish theme in the S'Winter levels, which humorously enough reminds me a little of the theme song of rival TV series iCarly). A few quirks and tips I noticed: you can send Candace's busted bar all the way back down to 0 by exiting the level entirely and making your way back to the backyard. However, doing so also resets all of the scrap piles in the level (which is helpful if you need more scraps, but isn't really neccessary). In each level, you'll find a number of workshops which will allow you to construct upgrades such as spring shoes which will allow you to go to parts of the level you couldn't before. These workshops will also allow you to build the pieces for your current project, though I suggest waiting until you go back to the "Summer Fun" area of your backyard once you've got everything you need before you do this, since building those parts in the level itself really doesn't do anything. For example, there is only one soapbox racer part you need to build the rollercoaster in the entire game, and if you build it in one of the in-level workshops rather than in Summer Fun, you'll not only have nothing to show for it, but no other way to get another soapbox racer. Phineas and Ferb's first foray into the world of video games is by no means an epic, but it's not a bad game, either. I can't think of a better way to adapt Phineas and Ferb into a video game- unlike most video game heroes, Phineas and Ferb would never injure small creatures (no matter how evil or mindless), nor are they on a quest to save a princess or what have you. For them, it's all about exploration and having fun, and this game captures that perfectly. Much as one of their own projects might be, it's a fun diversion that's sure to make you smile for a few hours. Children, fans of the series, and casual gamers- or even older gamers who cut their teeth on platformers but haven't really advanced forward with the technology- will probably find it the most fun. I'm sure we'll get more of the same when Phineas and Ferb Ride Again next month. Until then, may all your troubles get zapped. Guest_Merchandise_Review:_Phineas_and_Ferb_Are_Playing_With_Power